No 'Alongside' option when trying to install Ubuntu 11.04 to dual boot with Windows 7

Uh... basically what it says in the subject. In the Allocate Drive Space part of installation theres 'replace Windows 7 with Ubuntu' and 'Something else' but nothing for installing them alongside each other, which I want to do. Halp?

yancek

07-06-2011 06:59 PM

I haven't installed Ubuntu 11.04. It would be helpful if you posted whatever the "something else" actually is. In earlier Ubuntu distributions the option was specify partitions manually which is the option which gives one the most control in the installation.

This is what it's supposed to look like. Mine doesn't have the first option. Admittedly, I could choose the Something Else option, but.. I want to do it the easy way where I know what I'm doing =\

impert

07-06-2011 07:14 PM

I'm 99% sure the "something else" lets you do manual partitioning. In any case, you can try it, as before it tramps all over everything you will be told what the installer is going to do and asked to verify it.

UnfairBear

07-06-2011 07:29 PM

Yeah that's what it does, I just didn't want to have to figure out how partitions work, but if nobody knows what's wrong I guess I don't have a choice...

yancek

07-07-2011 12:26 AM

There isn't anything wrong, they've just renamed the options. The link you posted shows install Ubuntu alongside other operating systems. I would go with the Something else option as it gives you more control.

UnfairBear

07-07-2011 06:30 AM

Yes, i know thats what it shows. the picture is an example of what its SUPPOSED to look like. Mine is MISSING the 'alongside' option. Mine does not look like that picture.

EDDY1

07-07-2011 06:34 AM

If you look at the something else option it allows you to resize.
If you haven't made room for ubuntu installation already that would be your option.

UnfairBear

07-07-2011 07:30 AM

Yeah I messed up the partitions and can't use Windows now. Oh well.

was8309

07-28-2011 08:35 AM

sounds like you did the same as I did. my noobie bet is that windows 7 has made your disk a 'dynamic disk' which (I think) Ubuntu can't deal with yet. I'm pretty sure Windows changed my disk from 'Basic' to 'Dynamic' when mistakenly allocated unused space I'd freed up in preparation for installing Ubuntu alongside windows via the Disk Manager (the hint was it asked if I wanted 'simple, spanned, or striped', which are the three kinds of windows dynamic volumes).

I did a full recovery using the hp recovery dvd's i'd burned before killing windows, and went back into the Disk Manager and saw that the disk and the three volumes within it were all 'Basic'. Then I shrunk the the C: volume by about 50g - and left the unallocated space as unallocated. Then booted with the Ubuntu (10.04 lts) cd and got the option to install 'side by side'. the install was successful and at boot i now get a menu to choose between Ubuntu and Windows, with the default being Ubuntu, and Ubuntu hibernation works!
three days of frustration, but for the moment a happy camper. hope it helps

was8309

08-18-2011 09:28 AM

only C:

danny0085,

nice video! unfortunately, the problem afik here is when there is no 'drive d'. thanks. we only have C: (and hp tools or whatever), and we want to free up space from C to install ubuntu. my (nubie) point is
DO this :
1) shrink C
2) DON'T allocate freed space
3) install ubuntu into freed space.

and DON'T DO do like I did on my first try which was
1) shrink C
2) decide I should allocate freed space as 'U'
3) gloss over w7 asking if I want 'simple, spanned, or striped'
4) be stupid and not notice that w7 has set bits to make the entire C: drive to think that it's now 'dynamic'
5) try to install ubuntu and have it puke on encountering 'Clark Kent Dynamic' drive.

.. waiting for someone with knowledge to help. thanks

EDDY1

08-18-2011 10:54 AM

There are 3 ways to do it none of them wrong.
1. You can use wins7 disk manager & resize partition by upto 50%. Then option to 'Install Ubuntu to largest free contiguous space' is available.
2. You can choose 'Side by side' & Ubuntu will make minimal space or you can resize by sliding left or right, for more or less space.
This option may be the something else option on 11.04
3. You can use gparted-lived-cd to resize, then there is the same option available in 1st option.

was8309

08-18-2011 07:40 PM

but OP is 'no alongside option'

Thanks for your response Eddy1. but I landed here because I also had 'no alongside option'. op UnfairBear's last post was ~'can't use windows, oh well'. Since he was also a newb and since he hasn't posted back, there's a bet that he got someone like the geek squad to recover windows and unfortunately will not try linux again.

When faced with 'no alongside option', I spent 2 days reading threads, many contradictory ("use gparted" vs "gparted does not work with dynamic drives"), some too deep (how to flip bits in the mbr? to change drive from 'dynamic' back to 'basic').

If one chooses your option 1, then the crucial point to be made is "do not use win7 to allocate the newly freed space, no matter what some obsolete or errant threads say"

if you do what I did :

- use wins7 disk manager & resize partition
- make the newb mistake of following obsolete/errant threads and so use wins7 disk manager to allocate the new partition, say to drive "U"
- try to install Ubuntu

then the following will be true :

- win7 will have made the entire drive a 'dynamic drive'
- therefor there will be 'no alongside option'
- gparted won't help at this point as afik it does not yet comprehend windows 'dynamic drives'

from where I was, with 'no alongside option', I had to do the following to get an 'alongside option' :

- start over using hp recovery disks to get back to where the machine was when it came out of the box

- choose Eddy1 option 1, but add important substep 1b

1a. use wins7 disk manager & resize partition by upto 50%.

1b. be sure not to make was8309 newbie mistake - make sure not to allocate the newly freed space using win7 disk manager because if you do the whole drive will be changed to a windows 'dynamic drive' which will cause the ubuntu install to falter

1c. install Ubuntu and see the coveted 'alongside' (or 'Side by Side') option

sorry if this is pedantic and cargo cult, but I don't know anything about disk partitioning, and seeing a post like this before starting would have saved 2 days. thanks

EDDY1

08-18-2011 07:52 PM

I beg to differ I can got to my vbox pull up ubuntu 10.10 & 11.04 show you the differences of their installer choices, which in 11.04 there is no alongside(side by side) option, it's just a difference of how you percieve what's written. you may be correct in the dynamic disk department, but I have a wins7/debian dual-boot that works fine.

Durf

08-23-2011 01:13 AM

Hello,
I was reading this thread as I too have the same problem but (seemingly) with all versions of Ubuntu (10.04, 10.10, 11.04).
I have found out the solution to this problem and registered on this site just to post it. :)
So, after not seeing any 'alongside..' option and being dissatisfied with the advanced 'something else' option, I tried to see what was going on by launching GParted Partition Editor from the live cd/usb(I had 10.04 and 11.04 on cd and 10.10 on usb).
I had noticed immediately that the windows partition that I wanted to install alongside had a little red icon with an exclamation point in it.
Naturally, I right-clicked for some details and got a huge confusing list of errors.. something about clusters.
Anyway, in all that mess are the instructions! It'll say something like "in windows run 'chkdsk /f' and then restart TWICE". (chkdsk = Check Disk for errors, /f = Fix errors automatically)
SO, boot into windows. Whatever version you have(I am working with vista dual boots, but check your partition in GParted it's probably the same).
Double click 'My Computer'. Right click on the hard drive you want to be dual booting with and click 'properties'.
Go to the 'tools' tab. The first option should be to check drive for errors. Click this and make sure the option to automatically fix errors is checked. You can check everything to be sure.
After clicking 'check' or 'ok' you'll get a pop-up that says the check cannot be performed while the disk is in use, from here you can schedule it to check on the next startup. Do so then restart.
Once restarting...yea its gonna take a while..you go through that checking process but be glad when it's done.
After it has checked and fixed your drive and your booted up (do not have to be logged in)... restart, just a plain ol' restart with no checks.
AGAIN, booted up into windows... RESTART (yes it really seems to be required a second time after the check.)
Finally, booted into windows for the final time, and (you can put Ubuntu disc in if you want) ...SHUTDOWN
Boot into Ubuntu and run the installer(I ran 'try ubuntu' and then the installer from there) VOILA!
Alongside with them should now be an option.
I am now using it as we speak for 11.04.

Turns out it because I've booted into live CDs and USBs beforehand and expected the ntfs filesystem to stay intact.
This explains why people in the install video can put in a fresh cd into a fresh system and have no problems, while other like me have been trying ubuntu for a while before deciding to install it.
Anyway, windows has to check and fix and messed up clusters. Then restart into the fresh error-free drive, and once more (it has something to do with the ntfs partition itself and how it boots).
Hoped this has helped as much as it has helped me.
P.S. sorry if I'm a little confusing in my rambles..